Rawlings Gold Glove Award

Defense. It’s the heart of the game and the heart of Rawlings. Since its
creation in 1957, The Rawlings Gold Glove Award has been the benchmark by which
all defense is measured. Over the past 50 years, the award has been bestowed on
some of the game’s greatest defensive players: Ozzie Smith, Johnny Bench, and
Brooks Robinson, just to name a few. Today, the award remains the highest symbol
of defensive excellence and ultimately determines who is “the Finest in the
Field”!

In its first year, only nine professional players received the
award. Beginning in 1958, eighteen total players received the honor, one for
each position, in both the National and American Leagues. The managers and
coaches from the Major Leagues are responsible for selecting the winners prior
to the conclusion of the regular season. They may not vote for players from
their own club and can only vote for players in their own league. In 2007, in
conjunction with the award’s 50th Anniversary, the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
expanded to recognize athletes at the collegiate and high school levels. Nine
awards are now given to each division in the NCAA (1,2,3), the NJCAA (1,2,3),
NAIA, as well as high school athletes from around the country.

The
storied history of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award has inspired a new class of
athletes to attempt jaw-breaking plays and acrobatic snags in the dirt; all in
the hopes of taking home the gold. More than 50 years later, the Rawlings Gold
Glove Award remains the game’s greatest measure of defensive excellence and its
legacy is sure to live on for years to come.